“But the schedule she’s keeping is causing some wear and she needs to be docked soon, something I must deal with on my return. But it is difficult...to find another ship that can keep up with her.”“Yes, I can understand that.”They lapsed into a companionable silence for a while as the mules laboured to get the coach up hill followed by being held back on the downslope. Several times they had to get out and walk, but eventually they descended a particularly steep winding hill, crossed a stone. Wriggling and squirming with discomfort, Pihla tried to follow him as quickly as she could while he half dragged, half pushed her over to the bed, and threw her on the bed, so that she was lying on it horizontally with her head hanging over the edge. Walking back to where she had been kneeling, he picked up the bowl and his bottle of whiskey, drinking some more as he staggered into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he staggered back with a tube of lipstick.After smearing her mouth with. .....ever again." Then thinking to himself how he could wrest that Road Runner away from me. "Better check on it, son." I parted the curtains. Relieved to find it present and accounted for. Then checked again to make sure I wasn't just imagining it being out there."Call her!" No. I'm not calling this close to the end. It's the home stretch. I'm clean. I ain't called and I ain't whacked it. And that Road Runner is still out there."Fuck me, I checked it one more time."I have nobody to talk to.. "Stop it!" I heard Amanda whisper insistently."Oh come on, I'm just—" Kelsey replied, the rest of her sentence getting drowned out in reverberating noise as we entered a tunnel. I turned my head slightly, and from the corner of my eye I saw Amanda and Kelsey whispering quite animatedly before Amanda finally turned her head away, her face clouded with anger.A few seconds later, Kelsey put her hand on my right shoulder and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry."I shrugged and didn't say anything for.